I was introduced to ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race’ by the Our Shared Shelf bookclub. I wanted to learn more about feminism and how the movement itself is structurally racist.

This book’s blurb (from Amazon):

In 2014, award-winning journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote about her frustration with the way that discussions of race and racism in Britain were being led.

Her words hit a nerve. The post went viral and comments flooded in from others desperate to speak up about their own experiences. Galvanised by this clear hunger for open discussion, she decided to dig into the source of these feelings. Exploring issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, Reni Eddo-Lodge offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism. It is a searing, illuminating, absolutely necessary exploration of what it is to be a person of colour in Britain today.

My thoughts:

This book did not disappoint. It made me realise just how much I have benefitted from white privilege and how feminism is structurally racist. I love it when books make me think as it encourages me to ask questions. As a result, I have been left with a lot of questions.

If feminism can understand the patriarchy, it’s important to question why so many feminists struggle to understand whiteness as a political structure in the very same way.

Feminism is about liberation from the patriarchal society, it is about making choices. 

White feminism isn’t about all white women who are feminists. It’s about those who buy into the politics of  whiteness which are structurally and discriminatorily racist:

For those who identify as feminist, but have never questioned what it means to be white, it is likely the phrase white feminism applies. Those who perceive every critique of white-dominated politics to be an attack on them as a white person are probably part of the problem.

This book taught me a lot, it made me question my reasons for being a feminist. It made me feel apologetic for the past actions of white people. This is definitely a book all white people should read, including feminists!

I think that the idea of feminism is a great one – equality, liberation and choice for all people.

Find this book at amazon.

If you’re interested in some of my other feminist posts, find one about the true meaning of feminism here!